Posts Tagged ‘love’

God has provided me with a number of heads-up moments to prepare me for the next event. So here’s how it happened:

I receive a text from one of my parents asking me how I’m doing

I respond with, “Doing as well as expected. Did ya’ll send the check yet for the funeral services?”

They reply with, “Why? You are still very much alive!”

I did say that one of my parents was having difficulty accepting the cancer, so the Holy Spirit stepped in: “…do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” ~Mt 10:19b-20

Without giving away which parent, the Spirit reminded them that they themselves were not leaving their end of life decisions until the last minute. My youngest sibling was traveling out to meet them to place their signature on some important docs and will eventually be the one in-charge of their “estate” when my parents pass.

Then the Spirit made this proclamation that set me up for what I would hear at my Oncologist’s appointment. He said though me in the text,

“Well my passing is not such a mystery. This cancer IS growing and I AM loosing weight. It’s a serious cancer and one that has a low survival rate. I can’t wait until I’m not here to take care of this end-of-life detail. So either ya’ll fulfill your promise or I will find other means to raise the funds needed.”

My parent sent out the check the next day. I later found out from my sibling that this had been a continuous argument between my parents – and finally the one who had accepted the situation, won!

THURSDAY’S APPOINTMENT

That Thursday I listened to this wonderful Oncologist – who, believe it or not, isn’t in it for the money, but for saving life. So what he had to say really impressed me and demonstrated clearly that he truly was interested in quality of life, no matter at what stage of cancer.

He looked me in the eye, was calm and honest. He informed me that my diagnosis was incorrect. The PET scan confirmed his findings, I don’t have Colon Cancer, Stage 3, but Rectal Cancer, stage 4. The liver is inundated with lesions and therefore inoperable. Chemotherapy wouldn’t do any good. I have 6 months to a year left. Then he said,

“Let’s focus on quality of the life remaining to you. I think you should pursue radiation to shrink the tumor because we don’t want it closing off your colon. That’s a very painful way to die. Then if we can shrink it enough, we can remove it. This will alleviate a lot of the pain that you are currently in. Thus we can drastically improve the quality of remaining life.”

Scroll back up and read again what the Spirit had me write just two days prior! Amazing, is it not? I responded to his comments with equal calm and a very positive attitude as I had just received confirmation that I would get to go home early!!!

And that, dear readers, is EXACTLY how I see it! This life is VERY TEMPORARY. It’s NOT our FINAL destination. HEAVEN IS our FINAL GOAL, our FINAL DESTINATION.

We MUST keep our eyes on Christ and Eternity, or this life will have no meaning, no purpose. I’ll be writing more on this later, after I’ve had a full recovery from everything.

Now, if you would like to help, because I sure won’t be able to earn any funds for a while, if at all, there are two ways that you can:

Way number ONE:

Snail Mail: Those who know me can shoot me an email (click on the Contact Me, right column) for the current address – btw, it’s not on Hamilton Street. Any amount you would like to give will go towards living expenses: Rent, utilities, phone. I anticipate selling my car as I most likely won’t be driving when the cancer in the liver begins to make life difficult. But I’ll only be asking the payoff price for the loan, so no extra funds there.

My groceries are covered. 🙂

Way number TWO:

Click HEREto make a direct donation via paypal. My friend and I did look into “Go fund Me”, but they keep 40% of whatever is raised. We’re trying to raise living expenses, not hire a lawyer. 😉

These donations can be ONE time or monthly support. It’s entirely up to you and I willnot solicit further assistance should you choose the first. I have AT LAST learned to TRUST in the Lord for His provisions. He’s the One to inspire the giving. 😉

A BIG THANK YOU in advance for anyone who can help!

And as always, THANK YOU for your prayers! You’re in my prayers as well. And with all this extra suffering I get to experience, there’s more GRACES available associated with those prayers. 😉

UPDATE: 10/05/18

Today was my final day for treatment, Woohoo! Yesterday, my birthday (10/04), was miserable. I got super sick thanks to my body deciding that would be the day for a week’s worth of pooing. Lots of misery there. But on the positive side my friend kept me with her so that I didn’t have to go through this alone on my birthday. She is soooo AWESOME!!! And I received many birthday greetings both in text and in the mail to make the day extra special.

Her Birthday Flowers to me. Now they greet me whenever I wake up.

My Birthday willbe repeated at a later date, though, since I wasn’t able to eat very much. Thankfully I feel 150% better today and I hope to continue to improve as the weeks go by.

The way this radiation treatment is supposed to work is, over the next 4 weeks the tumor cells should be dying off and the tumor should be shrinking. That’s what the prayers are for. If it shrinks enough it can be removed. Of course the colon will most likely come with it so to prevent any new recurrences of the tumor, and I’m TOTALLY OKAY with that. Easier waste removal, if you think about it. 😉

So in 4 weeks there should be another scan and the Oncologists will then make a decision on what’s next to be done. Again, all prayers are focused on this being successful and the tumor being removed. Quality of life, that’s the focus right now. 🙂

Thank you for adding this to your own prayers! And thank you, again, for any support you are able to give.

In the post before the last I wrote on the subject of the Two Hearts (Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary), and how God has provided us with this devotion to prepare us for the coming purification that will be for ALL the earth and its people.

Oddly enough, before I was granted the time to sit down and type, several wonderful resources came my way to make this post as meaningful as possible…

An e-mail from an apostolateI subscribe to gave a good description of there where this devotion came from…

Then the Monthly Message arrived and gave further food for thought and confirmed what many have already warned…Change is upon us!

And then lastly, Mark posted a blog that ties all this together. To quote Hannable from the A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together!”…Of course, God’s plans ALWAYS comes together. 🙂

FIRST: THE DEVOTION

Why THIS devotion? An additional question, Why did Christ die for us?

ANSWER…

“In this fundamental devotion we have a synthesis of all the mystery of our redemption — of an infinite love that was ready to suffer death and be despised for our salvation.”

And how does God’s people choose to respond to this overwhelming gift of LOVE?…

“In return, He finds in so many human hearts nothing but hardness, forgetfulness, contempt and ingratitude: Jesus loves and yet is not loved;

“You cannot give what you do not have…” Fireproof, 2009, source: Google Pics

I recently re-watched a favorite movie of mine, Fireproof , that has a wonderful line in it. If you haven’t already seen the picture, no worries, this won’t spoil a thing for you. But Caleb Holt, the main character, is trying to show love and respect for his wife and his wife isn’t responding the way Caleb thinks she should. So in his frustration he asks his Dad,

“How am I suppose to show love over and over again to someone who constantly rejects me?!”

And his dad, while standing at the foot of a wooden cross in the clearing where they’re at, responds with,

“That’s a very good question.”

“His love is not even known because we will not deign to receive the gifts by which He proves His love, or listen to the secret and tender words of love that He wishes to speak to our hearts. ” ~Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro-Carámbula, HLI’s Interim President, July 1, 2011.

Yes, the world is the same. Christ demonstrates His LOVE for us over and over again, and yet how many of His creation reject Him and His gift of LOVE?

Following the teachings of Saint Claude De La Colombière, we see how the Heart of Christ is always burning with love for men (symbolized by the flames coming from His Heart as we see in many paintings), always open to shower graces and blessings upon us, always touched by our sorrows, always eager to impart its treasures to us and give Himself to us, always ready to receive us, to be our refuge and dwelling place and our heaven even in this world. ~Ibid…emphasis added.

“Come all who are weary, and I will give you rest.”

To consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate heart, visitherefor upcoming consecration details…

FOR THOSE ALREADY IN SERVICE…

In this month’s message, Jesus reminds those who have answered the call to His service that we must…

… act as holy hands and hearts. Your holy hands and your holy hearts are used to gently tap others, into service, into healing and into love for Meand all of the Father’s children on earth.

How earnestly I ask the Father for greater blessings for you. How earnestly I prompt you, through the Spirit, to continue on in service.

For it is in our service that Jesus is able to work through us to reach others…

You see…not only do I move through you to others, but I minister to you in a continuous way so that you are sustained…. I want you to understand that if you say no to Me, there are others who will not be comforted and others who will not be blessed and instructed through you.

So we must continue to resolve to GROW in HOLINESS and continue on a DAILY BASIS to renew our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus AND to the Immaculate Heart of His/and our Mother…

“The heart that resembles that of Christ more than any other is without a doubt the Heart of Mary, His Immaculate Mother, and for this very reason the liturgy holds them up together for our veneration. Responding to the Virgin’s invitation at Fatima, let us entrust the whole world to her Immaculate Heart… so that it may experience the merciful love of God and know true peace.”~Pope Benedict XVI, Sunday June 5, 2005, Angules Greeting.

We’re never alone, Christ will NEVER abandon us…and not only that, He has promised extra special graces for those who serve…

I know that there are times when you need encouragement, so at this time, I will send you evidence of either your progress or of the effect of your willingness to serve on others. Look for this, dear apostles, and then you will know that I AM with you and that I AM using your presence on earth…in this time of change. ~Monthly Message, ‘Anne’ Lay apostle, July, 2011.

And this ON TOP OF the promised already made for those who have a devotion to His Sacred Heart…

Of the many promises Our Lord Jesus Christ did reveal to Saint Margaret Mary in favor of souls devoted to His Sacred Heart the principal ones are as follows:

9. I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.

10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.

11. Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.

12. In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that My all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in My displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and My Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.

Courtesy of SacredHeart.com… (which no longer exists at this address)

So with all of this, we have the tools to be ready for that great time of Evangelisation that will follow on the heals of the Church’s purification as taught in our Sacred History and found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church…

Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the “mystery of iniquity” in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh. ~CCC§675

But he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come. ~Mt24: 13-14

Mark’s post is a VITAL FOLLOW-UP to this post and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND reading it…

I pray that God will reach out to many wandering hearts and many servants whose hearts have grown cold to bring His Life and His Love to all who seek Him out…

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; IF ANY ONE hears My voice and opens the door [to your heart], I will come in to him and eat with him and he with Me. ~Rev 3:20

Finally…

As the heavenly music continues to sound in my ears, I pass on this wonderful Blog-cast that reminds us the NEED to REMAIN in GOD and FOLLOW HIS COMMANDS with all our heart. The Eucharist IS our FOCUS!